Not a terrible weekend by any standards. I had two tournaments, both at Alum Creek and the fishing was decent for us. We finished 3rd on saturday and 6th on sunday and averaged about 8.5 lbs each day. We caught tons of fish but the giant smallmouth we were searching for eluded us both days. If either or both days would have yielded a 4 pounder, we would have won both tournaments but it didnt happen. Lots of fish, just no size.
Earlier in the spring I promised a dissertation on how to wack smallies at Alum Creek in the spring. I have been patiently waiting for a pic of the smallies we caught in the last tournament but it hasnt came yet so your just going to have to trust me.
First off, location is the most important thing. Its more important then any lures or techniques. You have to be in areas where the smallies are if you want to catch them, there are no two ways about it. Finding these areas is not as hard as it sounds but it can be time consuming. The key is....ROCKS, under the water. You can cheat and cut corners and fish stuff like the dam or cheshire and 36/37 and that definetely works for some people but the rocks Im talking about are on the many points of alum. This is where doing your homework pays off. Not all of the points have rocks on them but ALL of the points with rocks on them hold smallies in the spring and early summer. If a certain point is more dynamic then another, it will likely hold more smallies and replenish faster. For instance, if a point has rocks and a stump, thats pretty good. If your point has rocks and grass and a stump, thats excellent. If your point has the channel swinging against it and it has rocks and stumps, even better but the common denominator is always rocks.
Dont get me wrong, there are smallies all over alum but for me, Im looking for rocks and bolders. You simply have to get out and fish the defined points on your map and figure out for yourself whats on them. If your really a work-a-holic at fishing then you can go out and drag a carolina rig around on those points with a nice high quality rod and you will figure out whats on those points but there is a much simpler way. Its not easier but it is far more effective and accurate. Alum gets drawn down during winter, alot of the good stuff is exposed depending on how far down the lake gets drawn. Get a good hand held gps and put your hiking shoes on. Expect alot of mud and a few days of hiking but in the end you will have perfectly marked structure to add to your boats gps. After that, the fishing gets much easier and you will have eliminated the "where" and you can concentrate on the "how" for smallies on alum creek.
Great read, my main fishing partner and I fished alum for the first time this weekend. it was more of a get on the water and look around trip and we learned that it's gonna take some hours of work to figure that place out.
ReplyDeletethanks buddy, it def. takes some work. that lake can be very tough to fish if you arent fishing structure. there are plenty of ways to catch fish on that lake but the more spots you have the better. ive spent prob at least 40 hours doing recon on alum creek. prob a bit overkill but that extra work has given me an advantage over guys that havent done the same and put me on par with the guys that have done it. whatever advantage you can get, you should take it. good luck and get out there and find those rocks!
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